News

French actress Virginie Ledoyen ("The Beach") will star in the indie drama "The Last Beat" for Bohemia Group reports Variety.

The story centres on a world-weary self-exiled rock star (Shawn Andrews) searching in the early 1970s for a more artistic existence as a poet and writer in Paris, with the hope of erasing his tarnished former stardom.

Ledoyen will play a French countess involved in a turbulent love triangle. Robert Saitzyk ("Godspeed") is directing from his own script,

Susan Ferris and Alison Buck will produce. Shooting kicks off late spring on location in Paris.

French actress Virginie Ledoyen ("The Beach") will star in the indie drama "The Last Beat" for Bohemia Group reports Variety.

The story centres on a world-weary self-exiled rock star (Shawn Andrews) searching in the early 1970s for a more artistic existence as a poet and writer in Paris, with the hope of erasing his tarnished former stardom.

Ledoyen will play a French countess involved in a turbulent love triangle. Robert Saitzyk ("Godspeed") is directing from his own script,

Susan Ferris and Alison Buck will produce. Shooting kicks off late spring on location in Paris.

Independent director Robert Saitzyk, director of films like "Godspeed," is putting together the cast for his upcoming 60s/70s set film called "The Last Beat." Shawn Andrews isn't the only person who's part of the cast anymore with the addition of Virginie Ledoyen. Read on to see a bit more of what this film's all about.Writer and Director Robert Saitzyk (“Godspeed”) dives deeply into the torrid world of rock and roll to craft the realm that is the last days of rock star Jay Douglas in the film “The Last Beat.” Leading the cast in this powerful drama as the famous and tortured Douglas is Shawn Andrews, whose screen credits include the award winning “Fix” opposite Olivia Wilde, “Dazed and Confused” and “City of Ghosts,” and now attached is the Césarnominated French actress Virginie Ledoyen, who has been seen in films such as “Tout ce qui brille”, “The Army...

Godspeed was recently in New York for a premiere (March 26) and then in Los Angeles (April 9); now, the film is available to a wider audience on DVD. The film releases April 20th and fans of the dramatic will enjoy this family based thriller. Seems like the isolation of Alaska leads to the dissolution of one man's marriage at the end of a bottle. Things don't get much happier when this same man, Charles, is asked to help a dying man whose son's gun-toting ways put everyone on edge (Godspeed). Have a look at the trailer and then buy yourself a copy of Godspeed at the link below.

A very long synopsis for Godspeed here:

"Charlie Shepard (Joseph McKelheer) is a modern day faith healer, a man who claims that if you let go and believe, then his power to heal is very real indeed. Living hand-to-mouth with his young son...

Writer-director Robert Saitzyk (”White of Winter” and “Godspeed”) wrote and will be directing “The Last Beat,” a drama inspired by the last days of the legendary Doors frontman Jim Morrison. Shawn Andrews (”City Of Ghosts”, “Dazed And Confused”, “Big Heart City”), who has previously worked with Saitzyk in his directorial debut “After the Flood,” is slated to star as Jay Douglas, a famous American rock star in the early 1970’s in relationships with two women in Paris, France. Zero Gravity Management’s Mark Holder and Christine Holder will be producing the project, which begins shooting in Paris this October. No other casting news has been released yet. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for more [...]...

Robert Saitzyk ("Godspeed") is set to direct a drama about the final days of The Doors frontman Jim Morrison entitled "The Last Beat" says The Hollywood Reporter.

Much like "I'm Not There", the project is described as a "nontraditional biopic" that tracks the final days of Jay Douglas, a famous American rock star in the early '70s as he navigates his relationships with two women in Paris.

Shawn Andrews is attached to star in the project which Saitzyk penned. Shooting kicks off in Paris this October.

Writer-director Robert Saitzyk (White of Winter, Godspeed) is developing a movie "inspired by" (Read: names have been changed to avoid the lawsuit) the final days of the Doors frontman Jim Morrison. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film, titled The Last Beat, will star Shawn Andrews (Dazed and Confused, City of Ghosts, pictured), as Jay Douglas, "a famous American rock star in the early '70s, as he navigates his relationships with two women in Paris -- a glamorous French Countess named Clemence and his California 'soulmate,' Valerie Eason." The project is being described as similar to Gus Van Sant's Last Days,...

Robert Saitzyk will helm the Jim Morrison inspired flick In a story from The Hollywood Reporter, Robert Saitzyk (Godspeed) is going to direct The Last Beat. The film is a drama inspired by the final days Jim Morrison.

Saitzyk wrote the screenplay. Shawn Andrews (who starred in Saitzyk's After the Flood) is attached to star.

The film will start shooting in Paris this October.

Being called a "nontraditional biopic", the movie "will track the final days of Jay Douglas, a famous American rock star in the early '70s, as he navigates his relationships with two women in Paris."

The Last Beat comes to theaters in 2011 and stars Shawn Andrews. The film is directed by Robert Saitzyk.

Writer-director Robert Saitzyk wants to break on through to the other side.

Saitzyk wrote and will direct "The Last Beat," a drama inspired by the last days of Jim Morrison, for Zero Gravity Management ("The Cooler"). Shawn Andrews, who starred in Saitzyk's debut feature "After the Flood," is attached to star.

Zero Gravity's Mark Holder and Christine Holder are producing the project, which begins shooting in Paris in October.

A nontraditional biopic, "Beat" will track the final days of Jay Douglas, a famous American rock star in the early '70s, as he navigates his relationships with two women in Paris -- a glamorous French Countess named Clemence and his California "soulmate," Valerie Eason.

Gus Van Sant used a similar approach in his 2005 film "Last Days," in which he envisioned a fictionalized portrait of the days leading to Kurt Cobain's suicide.

Saitzyk is the writer-director of "White of Winter" and "Godspeed.

In addition to interviewing the director of Godspeed, Robert Saitzyk, Jeremy also got to talk one of the films writers and lead actors, Joseph McKelheer. The guys talk about working with Cory Knauf over many projects, selecting Robert as a director and much more. Again, please check out the trailer and look for the film at a theater near you!

Godspeed: Movie Trailer – Watch more top selected videos about: Godspeed, Ed_Lauter, Cory_Knauf, Joseph_McKelheer, Jessie_Ward, Hallock_Beals, Courtney_Halverson, Robert_Saitzyk...

Jeremy had a chance to interview director Robert Saitzyk about his new film Godspeed. The guys talk about the making of the film in luscious Alaska, the concepts of the story and characters and much more! Check out the interview and trailer below where our own Jeremy Kirk is quoted!

Godspeed: Movie Trailer – Watch more top selected videos about: Godspeed, Ed_Lauter, Cory_Knauf, Joseph_McKelheer, Jessie_Ward, Hallock_Beals, Courtney_Halverson, Robert_Saitzyk...

There's an interesting battle shaping up at the box office this weekend as Alice in Wonderland faces a serious threat from the DreamWorks animated film How to Train Your Dragon, a movie being hailed as the next film to truly use 3-D in unique ways and currently sitting at a staggering 95% on Rotten Tomatoes [1]. Meanwhile, Hot Tub Time Machine has been building some good buzz from a number of early advance screenings and is hoping to be a surprise hit as well. In limited release, we also have the Disney documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty, Atom Egoyan's Chloe, and the crime flick Ca$h starring Sean Bean and Chris Hemsworth. Will you be checking out any new movies this weekend? How to Train Your Dragon [2] Hot Tub Time Machine [3] Chloe [4] (limited) Ca$h [5] (limited) Waking Sleeping Beauty [6] (limited) Dancing Across Borders [7] (limited) The Eclipse [8] (limited) Godspeed [9] (limited) Bluebeard [10] (limited) [1] http://www.

Originally ran June 8th, 2009 as part of CineVegas coverage

Faith in the eyes of revenge and vice-versa. This is the subject at the heart of the thriller Godspeed. It is an intense thriller that digs much deeper than the tale of violent retribution on the surface, and its themes are such that the film leaves a lasting impression on you long after the credits roll.

Joseph McKelheer plays Charlie Shepherd, a faith healer who lives in the Alaskan backwoods with his wife and young son. Charlie is anything but a saint, and his infidelity and addiction to alcohol are slowly pulling his family apart. All of that become irrelevant one night when a pair of unknown assailants break into his home and brutally murder his wife and son. Their actions seem random, and much of the community seems to go one with their lives.

Six months later, as Charlie is...

Godspeed is a thriller that faces off one faith healer against another. Those with an eye for the intense and living in Los Angeles, Anchorage, or New York can test the waters on this project March 26th. The trailer reveals two troubled souls who do battle at the ends of rifles. Action-oriented and dramatic the trailer for Godspeed is below.

The long synopsis for Godspeed and worth a read:

"Charlie Shepard is a modern day faith healer, a man who claims that if you let go and believe, then his power to heal is very real indeed. Living hand-to-mouth with his young son and wife Rebecca, Charlie ekes out a meager living from his healing sessions in a small Alaskan town. With his marriage failing, and an old drinking habit coming back to haunt him. His family is brutally murdered by unknown assailants for seemingly no reason whatsoever.

Six months later,...

See the trailer, images and poster from "Godspeed" starring Joseph McKelheer, Courtney Halverson, Cory Knauf, Ed Lauter, Jessie Ward, Hallock Beals and Lynn A. Freedman. The film is a winner of the Special Jury Award at the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival. An intense, dramatic thriller which takes place in the lingering light of the Alaskan midnight sun. Charlie Shepard (Joseph McKelheer) is a modern day faith healer whose young son and wife are brutally murdered by unknown assailants for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Six months later, Charlie has abandoned his former life, moving through the days’ slow existence more like a ghost than a man. A young, mysterious girl named Sarah (Courtney Halverson) appears in town, and seeks out Charlie, pleading for help with her own grief-stricken father after her mother’s death...

Alterity Films recently send us over information for their upcoming film "Godspeed".Winner of the Special Jury Award at the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival, Godspeed is an intense, dramatic thriller set in the lingering light of the Alaskan midnight sun. Charlie Shepard (Joseph McKelheer) is a modern day faith healer whose young son and wife are brutally murdered by unknown assailants for...

Production on ‘The Violent Kind,’ the new film from writer/directing team The Butcher Brothers (’The Hamiltons’ and ‘April Fool’s Day’), began earlier this week in Northern California. The film is being produced by Jeffrey Allard (2003’s ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’) and Michael Ferris Gibson (’The Hamiltons’), along with producers Andy Gould (’House of 1000 Corpses,’ ‘The Devil’s Rejects,’ and 2007’s ‘Halloween’), Malek Akkad (the ‘Halloween’ franchise), Jeremy Platt (’The Haunted World of El Superbeasto’ and ‘Tyrannosaurus Rex’), and first-time feature film executive producer K’Dee Miller.

Here is the official synopsis from the film’s press release:

One night at a secluded farmhouse deep in the woods, a small group of hardened young biker hoodlums and their girlfriends are tormented when one of the women becomes demonically possessed. A few miles from them, “Missing Persons” signs displaying the faces of individuals not seen since the 1950s are spewed across a wall.

Production on ‘The Violent Kind,’ the new film from writer/directing team The Butcher Brothers and starring Corey Knauf and Joseph McKelheer, began earlier this week in Northern California.  Filming has been nonstop, and the crew has already released these pics from the set.Check ‘em out:

‘The Violent Kind’ centers around a group of bikers, but, beyond that, story details are being held pretty close to the chest.  This is just a shot in the dark, but I’m going to say, at some point, things get pretty violent.  The blood in the pics above and the big-ass shotgun might have something to do with that assumption.

The setting in the biker world would, however, explain the muscle weight Knauf had to gain before shooting began.  He played such a sweetheart of a guy in ‘Godspeed,’ currently running its course around the festival circuit, so I can’t imagine him playing such a hard-ass,...

Head over to Festival Ambassador to see Mike Jones's coverage of the festival (part 1, part 2 & part 3), which wrapped over the weekend with Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s Easier With Practice winning the Grand Prize of $10,000. Other winners include: Best Documentary: Douglas Tirola’s All In: The Poker Movie Best Short: Destin Daniel’s Short Term 12 Special Grand Jury Prize for Directing: Justin Nowell’s Acting for the Camera Special Documentary Jury Prize for Artistic Vision: Jessica Oreck's Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo Robert Saitzyk (director) and Cory Knauf and Joseph McKelheer (screenwriters) Exceptional Artistic Achievement Award for Godspeed Filmmaker to Watch Award: Jeff Mizushima's Etienne!

More CineVegas coverage at Risky Biz blog

Las Vegas -- CineVegas, the annual gathering of indie film powerbrokers amid the slot machines and black-jack tables, wound down Sunday after providing several breakouts -- and more than a few surreal spectacles.

Among the world premieres to make a splash were Jeff Mizushima's "Etienne!," Frankie Latina's "Modus Operandi" and Kyle Patrick Alvarez's "Easier With Practice."

Mizushima's "Etienne!" was a conversation piece for many over the weekend. The film, a spiritual cousin to "Lars and the Real Girl," centers on a pudgy loner who has only one friend -- the titular dwarf hamster -- whom he decides to take on a bike trip up the California coast after the critter is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

"Operandi," meanwhile, was the talk of the festival among media and execs after its premiere Saturday night. Nominally a thriller involving a revenge-bent CIA agent,...

Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of interviews with directors whose films are screening at the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival. “Godspeed” (USA, 2009) Director: Robert Saitzyk Cast: Joseph McKelheer, Cory Knauf, Courtney Halverson, Ed Lauter, Jessie Ward, Hallock Beals An intense, dramatic thriller set in the lingering light of the Alaskan midnight sun. What initially attracted you to filmmaking and how has that evolved since starting out? When I …...

We brought you the first trailer for indie thriller Godspeed - featuring Joseph Mckelheer and Cory Knauf from The Hamiltons - a little while back and while that trailer certainly showed some promise it was a fairly early effort cut together for international sales purposes and not the most polished in the world. Well, the film will soon premiere at the Cinevegas Festival in June and in preparation for that the powers that be have just cut together a brand new trailer for the film. This one still has a couple edges - the audio doesn’t seem to have been through post yet - but it is much improved on the whole, a very unsettling little piece of work. Here’s the synopsis:

Charlie Shepard (Joseph Mckelheer, The Hamiltons) is a modern day faith healer, a man who claims that if you let go and believe, then his power...

[Updated with new and improved version of the trailer.]

Indie horror picture The Hamiltons was a solid sleeper hit on the festival circuit a couple years back and a film that we covered extensively in these pages, so we’re more than a little curious to get a look at what stars Joseph Mckelheer and Cory Knauf have been doing since. The answer is Godspeed, a film the duo not only star in but also co-wrote and produced with Sundance alum Robert Saitzyk (After The Flood) in the director’s chair. Here’s the synopsis:

Charlie Shepard (Joseph Mckelheer, The Hamiltons) is a modern day faith healer, a man who claims that if you let go and believe, then his power to heal is very real indeed. Living hand-to-mouth with his young son and wife Rebecca (Jessie Ward, Rest Stop: Don’T Look Back), Charlie ekes out a meager living from his “healing” sessions in a small Alaskan town.

Hue Rhodes' "Saint John of Las Vegas" will have its world premiere as the opening-night film at the 11th annual CineVegas Film Festival, which will be held June 10-15 at the Palms Casino Resort and Brenden Theatres in Las Vegas. The film stars Steve Buscemi as an ex-gambler-turned-fraud investigator who returns to Vegas to investigate an insurance claim.

"Saint John" also stars Sarah Silverman, Romany Malco, Peter Dinklage, Tim Blake Nelson, John Cho and Emmanuelle Chriqui.

Eight other films will have their world premieres at the fest, overseen by artistic director Trevor Groth.

Slated in the narrative competition, they are Rania Ajami's "Asylum Seekers," a story of six people trying to escape modern life; David Barker's "Daylight," about a pregnant woman caught in a life-or-death situation; Kyle Patrick Alvarez's "Easier With Practice," based on the true story of a writer's long-distance relationship with a mysterious woman; Jeff Mizushima's "Etienne!